diff --git a/src/ifc/ifc_command_line_main.ts b/src/ifc/ifc_command_line_main.ts
index f8148faa..f1d2b918 100644
--- a/src/ifc/ifc_command_line_main.ts
+++ b/src/ifc/ifc_command_line_main.ts
@@ -72,6 +72,13 @@ function doWork() {
             alias: 'm',
             default: 128,
           })
+          yargs2.option('strict', {
+            // eslint-disable-next-line max-len
+            describe: 'Makes parser/reference errors on nullable fields return null instead of an error',
+            type: 'boolean',
+            alias: 's',
+            default: false,
+          })
 
           yargs2.positional('filename', { describe: 'IFC File Paths', type: 'string' })
         }, async (argv) => {
@@ -88,6 +95,7 @@ function doWork() {
           const geometry = (argv['geometry'] as boolean | undefined)
 
           const outputProperties = (argv['properties'] as boolean | undefined)
+          const strict = (argv['strict'] as boolean | undefined) ?? false
 
           try {
             indexIfcBuffer = fs.readFileSync(ifcFile)
@@ -148,6 +156,8 @@ function doWork() {
             return
           }
 
+          model.nullOnErrors = !strict
+
           if (geometry) {
             console.log(`Data parse time ${parseDataTimeEnd - parseDataTimeStart} ms`)
             // Get the filename with extension
diff --git a/src/step/step_entity_base.ts b/src/step/step_entity_base.ts
index d094b661..1b39099a 100644
--- a/src/step/step_entity_base.ts
+++ b/src/step/step_entity_base.ts
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ export default abstract class StepEntityBase<EntityTypeIDs extends number> imple
         throw new Error('Value in STEP was incorrectly typed')
       }
 
-      if (stepExtractOptional(buffer, cursor, endCursor) !== null) {
+      if ( !this.model.nullOnErrors && stepExtractOptional(buffer, cursor, endCursor) !== null ) {
         throw new Error('Value in STEP was incorrectly typed')
       }
 
@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@ export default abstract class StepEntityBase<EntityTypeIDs extends number> imple
         throw new Error('Value in STEP was incorrectly typed')
       }
 
-      if (stepExtractOptional(buffer, cursor, endCursor) !== null) {
+      if ( !this.model.nullOnErrors && stepExtractOptional(buffer, cursor, endCursor) !== null) {
         throw new Error('Value in STEP was incorrectly typed')
       }
 
@@ -279,7 +279,7 @@ export default abstract class StepEntityBase<EntityTypeIDs extends number> imple
         throw new Error('Value in STEP was incorrectly typed')
       }
 
-      if (stepExtractOptional(buffer, cursor, endCursor) !== null) {
+      if ( !this.model.nullOnErrors && stepExtractOptional(buffer, cursor, endCursor) !== null) {
         throw new Error('Value in STEP was incorrectly typed')
       }
 
@@ -319,7 +319,7 @@ export default abstract class StepEntityBase<EntityTypeIDs extends number> imple
         throw new Error('Value in STEP was incorrectly typed')
       }
 
-      if (stepExtractOptional(buffer, cursor, endCursor) !== null) {
+      if ( !this.model.nullOnErrors && stepExtractOptional(buffer, cursor, endCursor) !== null) {
         throw new Error('Value in STEP was incorrectly typed')
       }
 
@@ -435,16 +435,10 @@ export default abstract class StepEntityBase<EntityTypeIDs extends number> imple
       const value: Array<any> = []
 
       for (const address of stepExtractArray(buffer, cursor, endCursor)) {
-        value.push((() => {
-          const cursor = address
-          const value = this.extractBufferReference(buffer, cursor, endCursor)
 
-          /* if ( !( value instanceof IfcObjectDefinition ) )  {
-            throw new Error( 'Value in STEP was incorrectly typed for field' )
-          }*/
+        const itemValue = this.extractBufferReference(buffer, address, endCursor)
 
-          return value
-        })())
+        value.push( itemValue )
       }
       return value
     }, false)
@@ -520,7 +514,7 @@ export default abstract class StepEntityBase<EntityTypeIDs extends number> imple
         throw new Error('Value in STEP was incorrectly typed')
       }
 
-      if (stepExtractOptional(buffer, cursor, endCursor) !== null) {
+      if ( !this.model.nullOnErrors && stepExtractOptional(buffer, cursor, endCursor) !== null) {
         throw new Error('Value in STEP was incorrectly typed')
       }
 
@@ -587,11 +581,12 @@ export default abstract class StepEntityBase<EntityTypeIDs extends number> imple
     const cursor    = this.getOffsetCursor( offset )
     const buffer    = this.buffer
     const endCursor = buffer.length
+    const model     = this.model
 
     const expressID = stepExtractReference(buffer, cursor, endCursor)
     const value =
-      expressID !== void 0 ? this.model.getElementByExpressID(expressID) :
-        this.model.getInlineElementByAddress(
+      expressID !== void 0 ? model.getElementByExpressID(expressID) :
+        model.getInlineElementByAddress(
             stepExtractInlineElemement(buffer, cursor, endCursor))
 
     if (value === void 0) {
@@ -599,7 +594,7 @@ export default abstract class StepEntityBase<EntityTypeIDs extends number> imple
         throw new Error('Value in STEP was incorrectly typed')
       }
 
-      if (stepExtractOptional(buffer, cursor, endCursor) !== null) {
+      if ( !model.nullOnErrors && stepExtractOptional(buffer, cursor, endCursor) !== null) {
         throw new Error('Value in STEP was incorrectly typed')
       }
 
@@ -635,10 +630,11 @@ export default abstract class StepEntityBase<EntityTypeIDs extends number> imple
       entityConstructor: T ):
       InstanceType< T > | undefined {
 
+    const model = this.model
     const expressID = stepExtractReference( buffer, cursor, endCursor )
     const value =
-      expressID !== void 0 ? this.model.getElementByExpressID( expressID ) :
-      this.model.getInlineElementByAddress(
+      expressID !== void 0 ? model.getElementByExpressID( expressID ) :
+      model.getInlineElementByAddress(
           stepExtractInlineElemement( buffer, cursor, endCursor ) )
 
     if ( value === void 0 ) {
@@ -680,7 +676,7 @@ export default abstract class StepEntityBase<EntityTypeIDs extends number> imple
         throw new Error('Value in STEP was incorrectly typed')
       }
 
-      if (stepExtractOptional(buffer, cursor, endCursor) !== null) {
+      if ( !this.model.nullOnErrors && stepExtractOptional(buffer, cursor, endCursor) !== null) {
         throw new Error('Value in STEP was incorrectly typed')
       }
 
@@ -752,7 +748,7 @@ export default abstract class StepEntityBase<EntityTypeIDs extends number> imple
         throw new Error('Value in STEP was incorrectly typed')
       }
 
-      if (stepExtractOptional(buffer, cursor, endCursor) !== null) {
+      if ( !this.model.nullOnErrors && stepExtractOptional(buffer, cursor, endCursor) !== null) {
         throw new Error('Value in STEP was incorrectly typed')
       }
 
diff --git a/src/step/step_model_base.ts b/src/step/step_model_base.ts
index 9eff1463..e619dc37 100644
--- a/src/step/step_model_base.ts
+++ b/src/step/step_model_base.ts
@@ -36,6 +36,12 @@ implements Iterable<BaseEntity>, Model {
    */
   public elementMemoization: boolean = true
 
+  /**
+   * When an atribute is parsed from an entity in the model that causes a recoverable
+   * error, and the field is optional, return null instead of throwing an exception.
+   */
+  public nullOnErrors: boolean = true
+
   /**
    * Construct this step model with its matching schema, a buffer to read from and an element index.
    *